PC restart problem

Question

Dear Sir or Madam,

I have an offline PC running Windows 10 Professional. However, I've noticed that if I leave the computer idle—without moving the mouse or using the keyboard—for about 10 to 20 minutes, it suddenly restarts. There's no blue screen; the screen just goes black and the system reboots on its own.

I've already checked the power supply, run virus scans, and reviewed the sleep and power settings—everything appears to be in order.

Is there any way to resolve this issue? Thanks.

Cheers,

Ada

Answer 1

Hi Sun Ada,

Has your issue been solved? If it has, please accept the answer so that others can benefit too. If not, is there anything I can help you with? Please let me know.

Vivian

Answer 2

Dear Ada,

The behavior you’re describing—restarting after 10-20 minutes of idle time without a blue screen—points to a possible hardware or driver issue rather than a typical software crash. One likely culprit is an overheating CPU or GPU, which can trigger an automatic shutdown and reboot as a safety measure. Since it’s offline, check the BIOS/UEFI settings for thermal monitoring (enter BIOS by pressing Del or F2 during boot) and ensure the CPU temperature is within safe limits (typically under 85°C). You can also use a tool like HWMonitor (downloadable on another PC and transferred via USB) to log temperatures during idle periods.

Another possibility is a faulty driver or firmware update causing a kernel panic reset. Open Event Viewer (type eventvwr in the Run dialog) and navigate to Windows Logs > System to look for Critical or Error events around the restart times—look for codes like 41 (unexpected shutdown) or 6008 (system reboot). Updating the chipset, graphics, and motherboard drivers from the manufacturer’s website (using a USB drive) might resolve this if a driver is unstable.

Since power settings are fine, disable Fast Startup (Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings > uncheck “Turn on fast startup”) to rule out hibernation-related glitches. Also, ensure the BIOS is updated to the latest version, as older firmware can mishandle idle states.

If the issue persists, it could indicate a failing motherboard capacitor or power circuit—testing with a spare PSU or professional diagnostics might be needed. For now, monitor temperatures and event logs to pinpoint the trigger.

If these steps help you resolve the restarts, please hit “Accept Answer” 😊—it’s great to know we’ve assisted you!

Best regards,

VP